Thanksgiving pre-dinner nibble

I'm always trying to think of an easy, make-ahead nibble for guests before the Thanksgiving feast. You don't want anything too filling that will spoil the meal, but potato chips and pretzels just seem so boring. We've had the good ole crab dip spread for several years now. But I'm ready to retire it this year in favor of this goat cheese, pesto and sun-dried tomato terrine from the cookbook "How to Cook A Turkey" from the editors of Fine Cooking magazine (Taunton, $19.95.) Make it one day ahead to allow the flavors to meld together. The recipe follows.

What do you set out for guests before the big chowdown? Comment, comment.

Goat cheese, pesto and sun-dried tomato terrine

10 ounces goat cheese

1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons basil pesto (homemade or store-bought)

5 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet over medium-low, stirring a few times until golden, then coarsely chopped

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Pita chips or crackers for serving

Line the inside of a 2-cup sharply sloping bowl (about 4 inches across the top) with plastic wrap. Let the ends extend over the sides a few inches. In a medium bowl, mash together the goat cheese and 1/4 cup of the cream with a fork, then season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; add more cream if the cheese hasn't softened enough. Spoon about 1/3 of the cheese into the lined bowl and pack it into an even layer. Spread the pesto almost completely to the sides over the layer of cheese. Top with another third of the cheese, the sun-dried tomatoes and all but 1/2 tablespoon of the pine nuts. Top with the remaining cheese. Pack down, fold the plastic over and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes - or overnight. Half an hour before serving, take the bowl out of the refrigerator. Pull the edges of the plastic to loosen the terrine from the bowl. Invert the terrine onto a plate, drizzle with a little olive oil and let sit for half an hour to warm up. Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts, season liberally with pepper and serve with the pita chips or crackers. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.